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PIA News Service - Tuesday, August 3, 2010

PACAP to conduct Community Forum in Surigao City

.SURIGAO CITY - The Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP), on its five years of engagement in the province through the Focal Community Assistance Scheme (FOCAS) will conduct a Community Forum on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at Hotel Tavern.

.The forum is anchored on the theme: “Celebrating Partnerships, Sustaining Development Initiatives.”

.PACAP Provincial Project Officer Monina G. Hernandez said the event aims to share significant practices, lessons and insights among local communities, civil society organizations and the government. Moreover, it would also serve as venue for the ceremonial turnover to the provincial government of all project gains resulting from the dynamic partnership between PACAP and the local stakeholders. Aside from the awarding of certificates, this whole-day event will also feature a photo and product exhibit.

.People’s organizations and representatives from Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Local Government Units (LGUs) and government line agencies are expected to attend in the said event. It was also learned that Governor Sol F. Matugas and David Swete Kelly, PACAP Program Director will lead the turnover ceremony tomorrow.

.At present, Hernandez bared that a total of 21 community-based projects were already implemented throughout the province and three Focal Community Assistance Scheme (FOCAS) secretariat services; the Hinatuan Passage Development Alliance (HIPADA), Siargao Islands Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLAS), and Lake Mainit Development Alliance (LMDA) from 2005-2010 with a total grant funding of Php 81,737,563.

.“This amount includes PACAP’s support for the four-year secretariat operations of the three clusters and the extension of HIPADA and LMDA. Of this amount, total grant funds for the barangay level projects amount to Php 67,787836.08,” Hernandez said.

.Results of the Impact Review on FOCAS projects have shown that the most significant impacts generated from the project include the increased size of marine protected areas/Increase in size of area protected/ regenerated/ conserved, enhanced capacity of the people’s organization and increase in capital used for livelihood activities.

Also, PACAP have established partnerships with the LGUs, POs and other institutions in the 64 barangays within the 20 municipalities and one city reached by the projects. A total of 71 people’s organizations had been recipients of PACAP grants and had also provided in-kind and financial counterpart. Aside from these, PACAP has engaged a total of 14 NGOs, one community-based cooperative, one academic institution, and one fisherfolk association in implementing these projects. (Susil Ragas, PIA-Surigao del Norte).

.WFP welcomes support from Germany and Spain for conflict-affected people in Mindanao

.MANILA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed contributions from Germany and Spain of 500,000 Euros (estimated 56.7 million pesos) each to jumpstart WFP operations to support conflict-affected people in Central Mindanao.

As more internally displaced people return to their homes or resettle in other communities following the ceasefire in mid-2009 and peace talks continue, WFP recently shifted its focus from emergency relief activities to programmes designed to support the early recovery of returnee communities.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of the German and Spanish governments,” said Mr. Asaka Nyangara, WFP Deputy Country Director and head of operations in Mindanao. “Their donations come at a very critical time of rebuilding and restoring livelihoods in Mindanao,” she said.

In partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), WFP will contribute to the continuing peace-building efforts through assistance to the most vulnerable, particularly in remote and insecure areas of Central Mindanao.

.WFP’s Food for Work and Food for Training activities, with support from the European Union through its Food Facility programme, encourage people to become progressively more self-sufficient through the rebuilding and rehabilitation of important community assets, and developing new skills which help them support themselves.

In addition to its return and recovery programmes, WFP also provides nutrition support to vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant and breast-feeding mothers through supplementary feeding and school meals. WFP programmes are implemented in close collaboration with the communities, local government and other local stakeholders.

WFP returned to the Philippines in 2006 to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Mindanao by addressing the food security of vulnerable people in conflict-affected areas.

WFP also supports large-scale natural disaster response of the Government of the Philippines on a case-by-case basis. WFP is currently providing emergency relief and early recovery assistance for flood-affected areas in Luzon. (WFP/PIA-Agusan del Sur)..PNP Chief to lead legacy run and transformation roadmap forum in Butuan

BUTUAN CITY – The PNP is undertaking the Legacy and Transformation Forum in the various regions of the country to sustain the gains in the efforts of raising the PNP into a more credible, effective and capable police force.

PNP Chief, Police Director General Jesus Versoza will be in Butuan on August 6 -7, 2010 to lead the Legacy Run which will start at Diosdado Macapagal Bridge and ends at Police Regional Office 13.

Inspired by the success of the PNP Transformation Caravan that culminated on March 29, 2010 and the successful conduct of the 2010 National and Local elections, PNP Chief Versoza once again launched a visit to all Police Regional Offices for the Legacy Run and Transformation Roadmap 2016 Forum.

PIO Chief of Police Regional Office 13, Police Chief Inspector Nelly Villagarcia said, the activity will promote awareness of the PNP Integrated Transformation Program –Performance Governance System 2016 that serves as a blueprint for the PNP ITP-PGS Roadmap 2030.

The PNP ITP-PGS encompasses the PNP’s direction in achieving its vision by year 2030 through the PNP Transformation Roadmap 2030, making the country globally competitive by 2030.

The Legacy Run will be PNP Chief Versoza’s 3rd stage after the ITP Run and Torch Run in his journey towards genuine reform before retiring in December, 2010.

After the Legacy Run, the Chief PNP will spearhead the debriefing of police officers and all stakeholders for the success of the May 10, 2010 National and Local Elections following the PNP’s launching of the campaign of Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections 2010 (HOPE 2010) at FSUU Gym at 8 o’clock in the morning of August 7.

On this occasion, PNP Chief Jesus Versoza will convey his appreciation to the academe, media, religious sector, business, youth, and NGO’s who supported the police force during the elections.

.PNP Chief Versoza led the Legacy Run in PRO 10-Cagayan de Oro City on July 30-31, 2010.

Next is Butuan, wherein, the event will continue to PRO 2-Tuguegarao on August 13-14, PRO ARMM in Parang, Maguindanao on August 20-21, PRO 4B Calapan City on August 27-28 and lastly in NCRPO in Bicutan on September 3-4, 2010. (Jocelyn E. Morano, dxBN-Radyo ng Bayan/PIA-Caraga)..Cebuano News: Motorista gi-ambush, 1 patay

A joint team of police, DENR personnel and representatives from the religious sector scored on their intensified campaign against illegal logging in the region recently as it held a large volume of Magcono (Iron Wood) lumbers in various sizes, worth more than half a million pesos and was believed to be illegally acquired including the sea vessel which was supposed to ferry it to it’s destination, 9:30 P.M. on Wednesday.

Belated police reports reaching Camp Rafael C. Rodriguez from Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office cited that a team from Lianga Municpal Police Station led by Police Insp. Christian L. Rafols II, together with a team from the DENR led by Mr. Gil Calanian (DENR-Lianga), Mr. Carlito Guillen (MENRO-Lianga) and some representatives from the religious sector led by Mr. Macario Angela, while conducting operation against illegal logging has chanced upon 163 pieces of Magcono Woods (Iron Wood) lumbers in various sizes, at Sitio Davisol, Brgy. Manyayay, Lianga, Surigao del Sur on the aforementioned date. The confiscated forest products by the authorities may reach a volume per estimate of 12, 165 board feet and may be valued at P 608,250.00.

The authorities were able to trace the ownership of the lumbers to a certain Mr. and Mrs. Rudy Makalisang of Siquijor Island. They then confiscated the lumbers including the sea vessel which was supposed to ferry the forest products to its destination.

The confiscated items and the vessel were now placed under the custody of DENR Lianga for its proper disposition. (Noel B. Najarro, The Butuan Star/PIA-Caraga)

Armed men gunned down Manobo chieftain

Unidentified assailants armed with high caliber long firearms shot dead a Manobo chieftain and hurt his brother, 4:30 P.M. Saturday, at a hinter village of Purok 5, Brgy. Padiay, Sibagat town in Agusan del Sur.

Agusan del Sur provincial police reports reaching Camp Rafael C. Rodriguez, identified the fatality as Leonardo Behing y Iligan, 44; a resident of Purok 6, Brgy. Poblacion, Sibagat town in Agusan del Sur. The same report cited that Behing was riding on board a single motorcycle in tandem with his half-brother Antonio Behing y Bantono, from Brgy. Perez heading towards Brgy. Padiay of the same town (his brother’s place) when the two suspected gunmen waylaid and fired at them.

Leonardo sustained multiple gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body. He died on the spot, while his bother Antonio survived the ambush with three gunshot wounds on the left portion of his shoulder and his hand. He was rushed to Agusan del Norte Provincial Hospital for treatment and was declared to be out of danger by his attending physicians.

The assailants fled to unknown direction after the shooting. Sibagat police investigators initially cited personal grudges to be the motive behind the killing. They however, are conducting a deeper probe on the incident and were looking at other possible angles of the tribal chieftain’s shooting.

Leonardo “Andot” Behing, it should be recalled, was also implicated on the abduction of seven regional DENR personnel at Brgy. Anticala, Butuan City on October 20 last year. The hostages were later freed unharmed through a successful joint negotiation by the church, tribal council, the DENR, the police and the military.

In a related development, the communist New Peoples Army owned the killing of Behing as their handiwork. In a press statement sent to the local media outlets signed by their spokesperson “Ka Maria Malaya” claimed that it was a team from their Bagong Hukbong Bayan (BHB) Unit of the Front Committee 21, under their so called “Pulang Diwata Command” of the Northeastern Mindanao Revolutionary Committee (NEMRC), who allegedly were responsible for the ambush. The same statement claimed that Behing, a leader of the military-organized “Lumadnong Pakig-bisog Sa Caraga”(Indigenous People’s Struggle in Caraga Region) or (LUPACA) was in their hit list over allegations of abduction, harassment, illegal logging activities and other alleged crimes. (Noel B. Najarro, The Butuan Star/PIA-Caraga)

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.Tubay LGU donates lot for PNP shelter program

The Philippine National Police in the region finds a generous donor to enhance their “PNP Shelter Program” which is among the various measures implemented under it’s Integrated Transformation Program (ITP), when the local government of Tubay, Agusan del Norte donated a 10,000 square meters lot (1 hectare) located at Brgy. Dona Rosario, Tubay, Agusan del Norte.

The donation was formalized in a signing of a memorandum of agreement yesterday during the Monday flag-raising ceremony between the leadership of Police Regional Office 13 represented by PCSupt. Lino DG Calingasan and the Tubay LGU represented by Mayor Sadeka Garcia-Tomaneng.

Twenty-three police personnel together with two officers, Tubay police chief PCInsp. Tex Maghanoy and Cabadbaran City police chief PCInsp. Zosimo Duarte, were made beneficiaries of the said housing program.

Mayor Garcia in her message for the occasion said that shelter program is one of her primary concern. The opportunity she, is always afforded under her administration for every Tubaynon in need, to acquire a land which her constituents can call “as their own.” This is similarly manifested according to her in the creation of barangay sites in every village as well as the development of municipal sites which were implemented to help free anyone from the yoke of tenancy and forge a sense of lovingness and pride to her town folks.

The measure taken by her administration she said is an affirmative response to a second mile call for the PNP shelter program “for we understand the need.” She continued that in behalf of her Tubaynon constituents and her local government, they with an open heart donated to the police force “a piece of their beloved hometown to hold and to nurture and later on to love and to care as their own.”

The mayor mentioned earlier that she is a firm believer of the “bayanihan” concept, where even with limited resources, each government institution be it local or national should not hesitate to offer what they can share to promote development and improve the lives of Filipinos everywhere. She emphasized that the convergence of efforts will make the challenges moore easier to handle.

Also she said that her administration never hesitated to support the regional police endeavor, to show her local governments appreciation to the PNP who made their community orderly and the lives of their town folks peaceful and calm. (Noel B. Najarro, The Butuan Star/PIA-Caraga)..P101-M infrastructure projects soon to be completed in Agusan del Sur

.PATIN-AY, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur - Economic activities continue to spur in this landlocked province of Agusan del Sur in Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga region) as vital infrastructure projects amounting to P101 million are set to be completed before the end of the year, public works officials reported Thursday.

Once completed, these key infrastructure projects will connect to other provinces in the region and agricultural products and other industries will be easily transported to the market.

.Scheduled to be completed are the ongoing construction of the Patin-ay bridge in this capital town of the province, the concreting of the Cuevas (Agusan del Sur)- Bislig City (Surigao del Sur) road, and the concreting of the Pianing-Padiay road.

.“All these on-going projects are ahead of schedule and hitting its timeline completion,” said Agusan del Sur Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-District Engineering Office (DEO) District Engineer Jim Bernat.

.Added to the burgeoning economic activity in the province is the completed rehabilitation/repair of the P48 million Tabon-Tabon Section and P35-million road construction/rehabilitation and repair of Tabon-Tabon Section, all of the same province.

.Another ongoing vital infrastructure project is the construction, rehabilitation/repair of P115-million Wawa bridge in Sibagat town of this same province.

.Meanwhile, DPWH Region 13 Regional Director Dr. Evelyn T. Barroso said all ongoing construction of presidential directives and pump priming projects are ahead of schedule and setting on its timeline of completion.

.Director Barroso added that full economic activity in the Caraga region is already being noted following the completion of a total of P4.74 billion worth of infrastructure projects spread all over Caraga region.

.“These completed infrastructure projects already paved way to full economic development and also catered to the progress of agricultural business sectors in this part of Mindanao,” Barroso further said. (muc/PIA-Caraga)